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At a moment of inequality and division, who is advancing the vanguard of economic and social progress to bolster under-served communities? Whose work is fostering the inclusive growth that ensures every individual thrives? Who will set the ambitious standards that mobilize whole industries, challenging their peers to reach new altitudes of social impact?
In 2026, Impact Next — an editorial flagship series from NationSwell — will spotlight the standard-bearing corporate social responsibility and impact leaders, entrepreneurs, experts, and philanthropists whose catalytic work has the potential to shape the landscape of progress amid urgent need for social and economic action.
For this installment, NationSwell interviewed Kathy Pike, President and CEO of One Mind. Here’s what she had to say:
Ray Hutchison, Vice President of Community Engagement, NationSwell: What brought you to the field that you’re in now? Was there an early moment or a formative experience that helped shape how you arrived at this role, or your leadership?
Dr. Kathy Pike, President and CEO of One Mind: Before I was CEO of One Mind, I spent 35 years as an academic as a professor at Columbia University in the Department of Psychiatry and the School of Public Health. Academia is a kind of priesthood, and moving from a full-time faculty role into leading a nonprofit like One Mind is not a transition most academics make.
There was a moment that really catalyzed the change for me: About ten years ago, I was invited by a large multinational company in New York to give a talk on mental health and well-being. I went in for an in-person prep meeting, and they told me there was one condition: I couldn’t say “mental health” or “mental illness,” because those terms were considered too alienating or stigmatizing; instead, they wanted the talk framed around stress, coping, and resilience.
That moment stayed with me. The discomfort around even naming mental health felt incredibly restrictive, and I remember giving those kinds of talks and feeling like progress was slow. Then, a few years ago, after COVID, I was invited back to the same company to give a similar talk. This time, when I walked in, there was a large sign on the door that read something like: Feeling anxious? Depressed? Want to talk? I’m a mental health ambassador.
For me, that was a crystallizing moment because it was clear that we had entered a new era — one where people were paying real attention to mental health and well-being. It highlighted a huge opportunity that now exists to bridge what we know from good science with what’s happening in real communities.
I’ve always been deeply committed to translational science — the question of how we take what we know and get it into the hands of people who can actually use it. That moment made it clear to me that the bridge between science and practice needed to be stronger. I wanted to lean fully into that work. Around that time, the opportunity came up to join One Mind, and it felt like the right place to focus that effort by helping ensure that what’s happening in communities is grounded in strong science and actually reaches the people who need it.
Hutchison, NationSwell: What is the “North Star” of your leadership style, and how has it changed over time? What is it about the way that you lead in the space that makes you an effective leader?
Pike, OneMind: Early in my leadership career, I was very focused on building a team that could deliver the work with excellence. I approached leadership in a very task-oriented way. When I thought about hiring or bringing people onto a team, it was largely about finding the right people to get the job done.
And that’s still essential — the work does need to get done, and it needs to be done well. But over time, my thinking about leadership has evolved, and I now see leadership as much more about leading with people. It’s about understanding who individuals are so they can do the work they’re best suited for — the work they approach with energy and passion, and that allows them to operate at their highest level.
So the question becomes: How do you create the right match between the work that needs to be done and the person who’s doing it? Because when someone is working in an area where they feel alive, engaged, and capable of excellence, they’re simply going to do better work. It’s a subtle shift; the goal of delivering the work doesn’t change, but it changes how I think about leadership, especially when something isn’t working. It changes the questions I ask and the adjustments I consider.
More recently, when we think about building teams, I’ve come to see it less like assembling pieces of a pre-made puzzle and more like building with Legos. You may have an idea of what you’re trying to build, but people bring different strengths and perspectives, and the organization becomes stronger when you build around those differences. When people feel fulfilled and are working in areas they care about and feel strong in, the quality of the work improves as well.
Hutchison, NationSwell: What are some of the programs, signature initiatives, or some facets of the work that you’re doing at One Mind that feel particularly cut-through?
Pike, OneMind: I knew I wanted to lead an organization focused on translating science into practice, and One Mind felt like the right fit for a couple of reasons. For one thing, there’s a deep commitment to grounding the organization in science, which aligned closely with how I believe the mental health field needs to move forward. But there’s also a more personal reason: My paternal uncle was diagnosed with schizophrenia at 20 or 21, before I was born. As a child, I used to visit him with my father on Sundays at Rockland State Psychiatric Hospital, where he lived as a ward of the state for most of his adult life. Over the years, I watched someone essentially languish there. It wasn’t because people didn’t care — there were many deeply committed professionals working at the hospital — but the treatments and the understanding of serious mental illness at the time were very limited. I remember riding home after those visits thinking, we have to be able to do better than this. I’m sure that experience shaped my path toward becoming a clinical psychologist.
One Mind was founded by the Staglin family after their son, Brandon, was diagnosed with schizophrenia. In contrast to my uncle’s experience, Brandon is thriving today. He serves as our Chief Advocacy and Engagement Officer, and the opportunity to work alongside him was an important part of my decision to join the organization. In a certain poetic way, it feels like being able to say, we’re doing better now, Uncle Henry. This is the outcome we hope for: people living full, flourishing lives despite serious mental illness.
A diagnosis like schizophrenia is not unlike a cancer diagnosis in that you can do everything right and still face difficult outcomes, but we can do far more now than we once could to help people thrive. Being at One Mind also means working closely with people who have lived experience and ensuring their perspectives shape what we do.
What excites me every day is the way our work pushes the field forward across three core pillars: The One Mind Rising Star Academy supports researchers pursuing bold, breakthrough ideas in neuroscience to better understand the brain and develop new interventions; the One Mind Accelerator brings investment, technology, and innovation into mental health to build scalable, sustainable solutions; and One Mind at Work takes those insights into workplaces, helping organizations rethink how work itself supports mental health and well-being.
Across all three, the goal is the same: to demonstrate that better is possible, and to help make that future real.
Hutchison, NationSwell: What are the trends that you’re currently seeing that are giving you hope?
Pike, One Mind: Mental health is definitely having a moment. For a long time, nobody wanted to talk about it, and now everyone does. But one thing I worry about is that all of this attention may not translate into real impact.
There’s a risk that a lot of good intentions won’t actually achieve their aims. If that happens, the naysayers will say, See? We invested in mental health, we funded research, built workplace programs, and nothing changed. And they’ll throw up their hands and conclude that the effort wasn’t worth it. That concerns me deeply, because I believe we really do have an opportunity right now. But if we swing and miss — if we pursue well-intentioned efforts that aren’t grounded in good science or designed to reach the threshold of real impact — we could set the field back significantly.
At One Mind, that’s something we think about carefully in the One Mind Accelerator. As a nonprofit, we’re able to select participating companies based on a range of criteria, but one non-negotiable requirement is a genuine commitment to the mission. If someone is just as happy building a paperclip company, even if they have a clever idea, they probably shouldn’t be building a company in behavioral or mental health. The motivation has to be there.
Another risk that isn’t talked about enough is the dramatic growth in the number of small nonprofits and mission-driven organizations working on mental health and well-being. It’s encouraging that so many people care and want to build solutions. But there’s also a structural challenge: a thousand tiny dots on a map don’t necessarily color in the map.
The way I often describe it is that much of the work in mental health is underdosed. If you have strep throat and go to the doctor, they’ll prescribe something very specific — say, 100 milligrams of an antibiotic twice a day for ten days — because that dose is what produces results. In mental health, we also have evidence-based strategies that require a certain level of frequency and intensity. But too often the field is funded as if the prescription were cut in half — 50 milligrams once a day for five days — and then we wonder why the outcomes aren’t there.
Hutchison, NationSwell: How are you thinking about AI in this moment? Is there a future where it’s a force for good? And if so, what does that look like? How do we get there?
Pike, One Mind: It’s not a future where AI becomes a force for good; it’s already here. AI is power, and it’s potential. In many ways, it’s like water or money: what matters is how you use it.
In mental health and well-being, AI offers tremendous opportunity. Population-level data show that the burden of untreated mental health conditions is enormous — one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. And the vast majority of people with these conditions, whether in high-income countries like the United States or in lower-income countries and communities, are not receiving treatment.
There are many reasons for that. Stigma remains a barrier, access to care is limited, and AI could help address both. It could expand access to information and support in ways that feel more private for people who are hesitant to seek care openly; it could help standardize aspects of care and reduce administrative burdens, like documentation and record-keeping, that take time away from clinicians. In those ways, AI has the potential to dramatically increase access and improve how mental health care is delivered.
But there is also real risk. We’ve already seen cases where people turn to tools like ChatGPT or other AI systems for mental health support, even though those systems aren’t trained to manage clinical risk. There have been tragic outcomes, which underscores how important it is to approach this thoughtfully.
More broadly, the companies we work with through One Mind at Work are all grappling with what AI means for their industries and their workforces. Jobs will change. Some roles may disappear, and new ones will emerge. All of us will be working differently in the years ahead.
So from my perspective, AI brings enormous opportunity and enormous risk. The difference will come down to the choices we make now. We need to be intentional about building AI in ways that advance our shared aspirations: improving the human condition and strengthening people’s health and well-being. And if we see risks emerging, we have a responsibility to act in ways that reduce harm and optimize good outcomes.
When there is choice, there is risk. But there is also the possibility of getting it right.
Hutchison, NationSwell: What are some peer leaders out there that you admire, particularly leaders in roles at other organizations, or companies, or nonprofits whose work you hold in high esteem? Is there anybody else out there that we should be pointing a finger in the direction of as another great example of a human being or an organization?
Pike, OneMind: One organization that serves as a North Star for me is the Kennedy Forum, founded by Patrick Kennedy. I believe Patrick is the most important and effective national spokesperson on mental health today when it comes to advocacy, parity, and advancing solutions that matter for society as a whole. The organization’s CEO, Rebecca Bagley, is also an incredibly thoughtful, strategic, and compassionate leader who is helping carry that mission forward.
Patrick’s leadership was especially top of mind for me recently. This past Monday, he convened a major gathering at the National Press Club that brought together mental health leaders and policymakers. The event opened with an interview featuring his cousin, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Patrick and Secretary Kennedy have very little in common politically, and Patrick acknowledged that directly. As he closed his opening remarks, he said many people were probably wondering how he could stand on that stage and introduce someone whose political views he often disagrees with. But he explained that he was there because the Secretary will help shape the national agenda on mental health and addiction — and those issues matter to everyone. Patrick spoke about how both of them understand, through their own family experiences, what mental illness and addiction can do to individuals and families. He said, essentially, that they may sit in different political rooms, but on this issue they share a mission.
For me, that moment captured something powerful. Patrick doesn’t just say that mental health is bipartisan — he treats it as a universal issue and leads accordingly. He’s willing to partner with people he may disagree with in other arenas because the mission matters more. One of my mentors used to say, “Keep your eye on the prize.” That’s exactly what Patrick is doing.
Because of that leadership, he’s helped drive real progress, including the Action for Progress on Mental Health and Substance Use — a framework that, if fully implemented, could have tremendous benefits for people across the country. I have enormous respect and admiration for Patrick’s ability to lead with that kind of focus and commitment.
Hutchison, NationSwell: What is the North Star of your leadership?
Pike, OneMind: I think about the North Star of my leadership as a three-legged stool of values: dignity, purpose, and joy.
As I make decisions about where to spend my energy, whether in my leadership, my social life, or my philanthropic work, those three values are the ones that guide me. I want to feel a sense of dignity in the work I’m doing, a sense of purpose, and a sense of joy. If something lacks those things — if it doesn’t feel purposeful, if it doesn’t bring joy, or if there’s an indignity in it for myself or for others — then I know it’s not where I should be spending my time.
In the world we live in, there’s a frenetic energy that can easily pull people away from the values they care about most. We can all become disconnected from them. But if we’re intentional about keeping those values close, we actually have tremendous power to make the world a better place; it shows up in the decisions we make every day. So for me, dignity, purpose, and joy are the values that guide my leadership and the work I choose to do.